Local farmers consulted on Bill 6 repeal and replacement

A round table of local agriculture workers discuss possible ideas and inputs for suggestion into the Farm Freedom and Safety Act (FFSA) to be introduced to the House later this fall, on August 22, 2019. The FFSA will be presented as to replace Bill 6, which was passed in December 2015, and subsequently repealed multiple times after immense public outrage.John Watson / Postmedia

The UCP government got input local farmers and ranchers Thursday on how to repeal and replace the controversial farm safety legislation known as Bill 6.

Consultations occurred at Saskatoon Lake Community Hall in Wembley.

Initially introduced by the previous NDP government in December 2015, Bill 6 was criticized for having insufficient input from agriculture workers before being passed.

Over the month of August, Agriculture and Forestry Minister Devin Dreeshen is travelling across the province to get feedback.

“We want to make sure by the end of August the tour and consultation is wrapped up and our intention is to draft legislation from it to introduce to the House this fall,” said Dreeshen.

“Ideally, we will be able to see this passed by the end of the year.”

Traditionally exempt from the majority of standard Alberta workplace legislation requirements, the passing of Bill 6 designated farms and ranches adhere to regulations typically more applicable to a typical day job.

Although the NDP made amendments to Bill 6, the majority of employee standards set in 2016 still apply to farmers and ranchers, but not to their families.

The yet to be introduced “Farm Freedom and Safety Act” (FFSA) proposes to give agriculture workers the option of purchasing workplace insurance from the Workers Compensation Board of Alberta (WCB) or another supplier, exempt small farms from employment legislation, ensure basic safety standards, reduce regulatory burden and minimize red-tape restrictions.

The act would also ensure that farmers get to decide what types of agricultural research to focus on, as well as set key research priorities, instead of the provincial government.

“Public research supports the agriculture industry with long-term research goals which will help Alberta’s global competitiveness,” said Dreeshen.

“Two recurring themes that have come up at every stop is a choice of insurance, whether it’s through WCB or private insurance, and an education component.”

Finance Minister Travis Toews, who also serves as the MLA for Grande Prairie-Wapiti, added many Albertan farms remain in a state of non-compliance with the current Bill 6.

“We committed in the last election to repeal and replace Bill 6 with a common sense piece of legislation and that’s what FFSA will be,” said Toews.

Toews emphasized Alberta’s need to compete on the global scale in the agricultural sector, and regarded Bill 6 at having “chipped away” at that competitiveness.

“The reality is we need to be more competitive if we’re going to see continued investment in agriculture and make sure farmers and ranchers can make the most out of their opportunities,” said Toews.